Same worry, almost every time. Is this safe? What does the visit involve? Is anything going to be cracked or forced? Those questions come up in nearly every first call to Glendale Chiropractic.
Dr. Brockway works with children of all ages. Low-force only. No forceful adjustments, nothing that pops. A child’s visit looks nothing like an adult adjustment. Evaluation first, always. The pediatrician stays involved, not as a formality.
The practice covers all ages. For a broader look at who we see and why, the family chiropractic care page has more.
Yes. Though the full answer depends on who is doing it and how.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is clear on this: talk to your child’s primary care doctor before starting chiropractic care. Good advice. Pediatric chiropractic belongs alongside conventional medicine, not as a workaround for it.
Techniques with children are nothing like adult adjustments. Light, targeted pressure. Soreness afterward, if it shows up at all, is usually brief. Done right, serious complications are rare.
HealthyChildren.org, run by the AAP, has a solid list of questions to ask any provider before a first visit. Worth a look: HealthyChildren.org.
Red flag to watch for: a chiropractor who skips the health intake. No reputable provider adjusts a child without a full history first. Same goes for anyone claiming to cure conditions beyond the musculoskeletal system. Either one, time to find someone else.
Two techniques. Both low-force.
Activator Method. Small, spring-loaded handheld tool. Quick impulse to a targeted spot. No twisting, no thrusting, no sounds. Pressure roughly equivalent to testing fruit for ripeness. Among the most researched low-force tools in chiropractic.
PNT, the Pain Neutralization Technique, works differently. Extremely light touch. Locates tension patterns held in the nervous system and soft tissue and releases them. Subtle enough that kids sometimes ask if anything happened yet. Something did.
Neither one involves cracking sounds. Most children find both comfortable. Young kids usually handle it better than parents expect.
Backpacks. Screen time. A fall off playground equipment. Those show up constantly. Neck and back discomfort in kids arrives earlier than most parents expect, and work on alignment and muscle tension can genuinely help.
Some parents come in around milestones. A baby learning to sit. A toddler starting to walk. New physical demands on a small spine. Occasional gentle care can support that process without any fanfare.
Others just want to stay ahead of things. No specific complaint. An active kid they want moving well.
Sports tweaks, backpack strain, growing pains: those get more specific coverage on the chiropractic care for kids page.
Birth is hard work. On the baby too. A newborn’s neck and spine take real physical stress during delivery. Even a smooth one. Sometimes that shows up afterward as fussiness, trouble turning one direction, latching difficulty, disrupted sleep. Worth finding out whether something musculoskeletal is contributing.
Colic and reflux: the evidence here is genuinely mixed. Some studies find modest benefit from gentle adjustments. Others find no difference from a placebo. Chiropractic is one option to raise with the pediatrician, not a proven first-line treatment.
Torticollis is its own situation. Baby consistently tilting or rotating the head to one side. Gentle chiropractic can sometimes fit into a broader plan. PT typically leads. Chiropractic fits alongside.
Dr. Brockway adjusted his own newborns. He says clearly: that was a personal call made with full knowledge of the research, not a recommendation he hands out routinely. Infant visits at the practice are handled case by case, extremely gently, and always with the pediatrician informed.
Prenatal care and newborn tension connect more than most parents expect. The prenatal chiropractic care page covers what that looks like.
No minimum age. Technique is matched to the child in front of the provider: size, where they are developmentally, what is going on.
In practice, most of Dr. Brockway’s pediatric patients are five and older. Infant evaluations happen, but individually, not as a standard offering. Have a specific concern about a younger child? Call and describe the situation. Straight answer on whether it is a good fit, or a better referral if not.
Signs worth a closer look:
Fever, infection, suspected fracture, sudden neurological changes, unexplained weight loss: those need a physician first, not a chiropractor. Any provider worth trusting will say the same thing.
Runs about 30 minutes. Starts with evaluation. Health history, physical assessment. Nothing else happens until that is done.
For older kids and teens: existing imaging gets reviewed before any adjustments. If imaging would help and has not been taken, Dr. Brockway refers out for it. No X-rays in the office.
For infants and toddlers: different approach. No routine imaging. Evaluation is hands-on. Watching the child move, head position, how joints range. Gentle throughout.
After the evaluation, Dr. Brockway will say directly what he found. Good fit or not. Won’t hold back either answer.
Glendale Chiropractic: 425 S. Cherry St., Suite 307, Denver. Hours Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 2:30 to 6:00 PM. Closed Friday through Sunday.
This section exists because it matters.
Neck stiffness, back pain, joint tension, movement problems. That is the area where chiropractic has solid evidence. It belongs in the conversation for those concerns.
Ear infections, asthma, ADHD: the research for chiropractic benefit there is limited, inconsistent, or absent. A spine moving well might help a child feel better in a general way. That is different from treating a disease.
Any chiropractor claiming to treat ADHD or cure chronic ear infections: the evidence does not back that up. Worth pausing on that kind of language.
At its best, pediatric chiropractic is a complement to conventional care. The good providers say so directly.
Is pediatric chiropractic care covered by insurance?
Not automatically, usually. Policies typically need a documented musculoskeletal complaint, and pre-authorization for children is common. Check before the first visit. The front desk at Glendale Chiropractic can walk you through what to ask your insurer.
Is there evidence that it works?
For neck and back complaints in kids and teens, yes. Smaller evidence base than adult chiropractic, but systematic reviews support musculoskeletal use. Non-musculoskeletal concerns: limited, inconsistent evidence. The practitioners worth seeing stay within what the research actually supports.
How often should my child come in?
Depends on the situation. Sports injury recovery looks different from a routine wellness visit. After the first evaluation, Dr. Brockway gives a real recommendation. No pushing a long treatment plan before it is clear that care is helping.
Can a chiropractor help with torticollis in a baby?
Can be part of it, yes. Alongside PT, specifically. Pediatricians usually recommend PT first. Chiropractic fits in as a complement, not the lead.
145 five-star Google reviews. The practice runs on honest conversations, not sales pitches. Call before scheduling if you have questions. Dr. Brockway will say directly whether the situation is a good fit. If not, you will hear that too.
425 S. Cherry St., Suite 307, Denver | 720-889-1659
Monday through Thursday: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
